isaacs



(No Model.)

J. DISAAOS.

MODE 0? OONSTRUCTING TUBES AND ROAD BEDS FOR CABLE BAILWAYS.

No. 298.472. Patented May 18,1884.

WIT 5 55.5

\NVEN.TUR

2b. JQW W 6) M TATES A'IEN'I Fries.

J OHN D. ISAAOS, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,472, dated May 13, 1884.

Application filed January 18, 1884. (N0 model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN D. Isaac's, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, Alameda county, State of California, have invented a new and Improved Tube and Road- Bed for Cable Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to concrete tubes and road-beds of those railways, generally applied in the streets of cities, which are operated by an endless wire cable moved by a stationary engine, which cables are carried below the surface of the ground in such tubes, there to be connected with the car above by a grip which passes up through a longitudinal slot in the roof of the said tube.

The invention consists in the novel mode of constructing these tubes and road-beds, by which method of construction an important part of the cost is saved without interfering with the strength, solidity, and general serviceability of the tube and road-bed as compared with those structures of this class now in use and proposed by others.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a transverse sectional elevation of a road-bed and tube with only such parts shown as are necessary to explain my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of a short piece of the rail, show ing how the chair is made and how it is secured to-the sleepers.

In both figures like letters of reference represent like parts.

In all concrete tubes heretofore used and suggested much attention has been given to designing the skeleton iron frame-work, which has always been relied upon to maintain the strength and solidity of the structure, the concrete never being utilized further than as a bed to set the iron frames in and to supply the inclosing-walls of the tube between the curred without realizing any compensating advantage. The present invention seeks to dispense with this frame-work as far as it has been used to form a contour or mold for the tube itself, retaining, however, such parts as have their special advantage in application.

In Fig. 1, A A are the rails, B B the sleepers, and G Gthe channel or slot irons. D is one of the cable-carrying pulleys, E being the bracket which forms a support for the bearings for the axle of said pulley. F is the ropeway or tube, which is formed with concrete alone, saving that the channel-irons complete the top part. G is the concrete structure, which is shown in this case with a flat bottom immediately under the tube part, then rising with perpendicular sides to inclose the tube for about one-third of its depth, and then extending horizontally to furnish a deep foundation for the rails on either side, the cross section of a bed so formed being like the letter T, the rails standing 011 the extremities of the horizontal member and the tube being hollowedout of the middle and vertical member. This particular shape, of course, is not essential. There maybe slanting sides, cored holes inthe mass to save concrete, and other various modifications to suit different locations and conditions under which the invention is appliedas, for instance, the soil being shifting, like sand, solid, like clay, or it being a rocky bottom, or there being heavily-laden wagons constantly passing over the structure, necessitating extraordinary strength, or there being, as on a hillside, little or no traffic at all, excepting that of the line itself, so that a light substructure will answer. All these matters will be considered in designing each substructure, and even in some cases they will be considered in designing different parts of the same continuous substructure, so that it will be understood that the mere contour of the tube and bed is permissibly variable. I is a layer of loose soil,whi.ch may or may not be applied, as desired. It is better, however, in some cases not to adhere the paving-blocks to the concrete, for they may require replacing, and it is not easy to remove them when once solidly bedded in the concrete.

The rails are rested on the chairs J, which are five feet apart, more or less. These chairs are simply strips of wrought-iron riveted to the angle-pieces K, which in turn are riveted to the sleepers B. The strips J are swaged over the foot of the rail when the rail is put in place.

The'sleepers are shown to be made of two angle-irons. They may, however, be formed of old rails, channel-irons, I-irons, or any shape answering the purpose of distributing the load, and having a good broad base to rest on the concrete. These sleepers will be anchored in three places in their length, as shown, by the anchor-bolts L, with good large washers at the bottom to prevent drawing up through the concrete when the nuts are screwed up. The bracket piece E is also anchored in similar fashion by anchor-bolts bedded in the concrete when it is being molded. The usual traps or side openings will be furnished in this tube, as they are furnished in all others, to get at the pulleys to oil and replace them, &c., when worn or broken. It is not necessary to show these openings, for they will be precisely as commonly constructed.

By supporting the carrying-pulleys from the side and leaving the bottom of the tube entirely unobstructed, there is obtained a clear channel-way, so that storm-water and accumulations of any nature may be swept from one end of the tube to the other with greater facility than would be the case if the pulley-supports had their foundation on the bottom of the tube or straddling across from limb to limb of the old-style ribs or frames.

Of course, if in cases where the traffic is light, and it is thought desirable to dispense with the sleepers B, and directly anchor both the railchairs and channel-irons in the concrete by anchor-bolts, similarly as the sleepers are anchored, it may be done, and still the principle of my invention will be involved; therefore I wish it understood that the sleepers are simply suggested as the better form of construction, though not absolutely necessary to obtain a fairly-serviceable road-bed.

In forming the tube and road-bed the usual wooden frames are used having an outer contour corresponding with the inner contour of the tube. This frame is withdrawn after the concrete has set. The anchor-bolts are molded in place by measurement or templet. The irons are afterward placed on the projecting bolts and screwed tightly in place with the usual nuts on the bolts.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In cable railways, an underground tube consisting of a mass of concrete cored longitudinally to form a ropeway, with slot-irons on top, to form the passage for the-grip-shank to move in, anchored therein, and brackets to carry the cable-supporting pulleys, similarly anchored in the concrete, substantially as.

herein described.

2. In cable railways, an underground tube consisting of a combination of a mass of concrete cored longitudinally to form a ropeway,

with slot-irons on top, to form the passage for the grip-shank to move in, anchored therein, substantially as herein described.

In cable railways, an underground tube and road-bed consisting of a combination of a mass of concrete cored longitudinally, with slot-irons on top, to form the passage for the grip shank to move in, anchored therein, brackets to carry the cable-supporting pulleys, also anchored in, the concrete, and a continuous mass of concrete passing under the rails to which said rails are anchored, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination of the concrete mass G, cored to form the tube F, and supporting the rails A A, the sleepers B B, resting horizontally on top of the concrete, and connecting together the rail-chairs andthe channel-irons, and the bracket-supports for the cable'carrying pulleys anchored in the concrete, substantially as herein described.

JOHh D. ISAACS.

\Vitnesses:

GEORGE PARID 3', \VM. 1 DRUM. 

